SGB Apparel

Castore Sponsors First National Soccer Team

Castore, the UK sportswear brand, signed a multi-year agreement to replace Umbro as the official kit supplier and retail partner of Ireland’s national soccer teams. The six-year deal runs until 2028 and is Castore’s first with a national soccer team.

Puma Opens Running Testing Facility

Puma opened the Puma Nitro Lab, an athlete testing facility developed in partnership with Hartmann Orthopedics & Sports. Based at Hartmann’s facility near Frankfurt, Germany, the lab provides athletes with detailed, full-body insights using tests and scans, including 4D Motion analysis.

Women’s Tennis Association Secures $150M Investment

The Women’s Tennis Association announced that CVC Capital Partners, the global private equity firm, had become a commercial partner after making a $150 million investment that gave CVC a 20 percent stake in a new commercial subsidiary named WTA Ventures.

Report: Shein Exploring IPO

Shein, the Chinese-based online fashion retailer, intends to raise about $2 billion in a new funding round in March and is aiming for a U.S. initial public offering listing in the second half of this year.

Athleta Sees Q4 Comp Sales Down 5 Percent; CEO Exits

Gap Inc. announced that Mary Beth Laughton, president and CEO of Athleta, is exiting the business, effective today. The change comes as the women’s active apparel chain’s fourth-quarter comparable sales fell 5 percent in the fourth quarter, driven by continued product acceptance challenges.